Health & Social CareQ&A by dot point

Overview of A2 1 Applied Research: the purpose and process of research in health and social care, primary and secondary methods, sampling, ethical principles, and the presentation, analysis and evaluation of findings.

The structure and function of the cardiovascular system: the heart, blood vessels and the cardiac cycle, and a physiological disorder of the system (coronary heart disease) including its causes, risk factors, effects and management.

The structure and function of the digestive system: the organs of the gut, digestion and absorption of nutrients, and a physiological disorder linked to digestion and metabolism (type 2 diabetes) including its causes, effects and management.

The structure and function of the respiratory system: the airways, lungs and gas exchange, the mechanism of breathing, and a physiological disorder of the system (asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) including its causes, effects and management.

Monitoring, diagnosis and treatment of physiological disorders: the clinical measurements and investigations used (blood pressure, pulse, peak flow, blood glucose, ECG and spirometry), how disorders are diagnosed, and the lifestyle, medical and surgical treatments available.

Access to health and social care services: the routes of access and methods of referral (self, professional and third-party), assessment of need, and the barriers that prevent people from accessing the services they need.

Partnership working and integration in health and social care: multidisciplinary teams, integrated care, the benefits and challenges of partnership working, and how coordinated services meet a range of service users' needs.

The structure and provision of health and social care services: the statutory, voluntary, private and informal sectors, the types of service they provide, and how services are organised and funded in Northern Ireland.

Safeguarding and quality assurance in service provision: the types and signs of abuse, safeguarding procedures for adults and children, and the policies, standards, regulation and inspection that assure the quality of care.

Agencies and settings for health promotion: the roles of government, statutory, voluntary and other agencies, the settings in which health promotion takes place, and the role of national campaigns and legislation.

Approaches to health promotion: the medical or preventative, behaviour change, educational, empowerment and social change approaches, what each aims to do and its strengths and limitations.

Planning and evaluating health promotion: the models of health promotion (Tannahill and Ewles and Simnett), how a health promotion campaign is planned and delivered, and how its effectiveness is evaluated.

Public health and health inequalities: the definition and key functions of public health, health surveillance and the measurement of population health, the patterns of health and the social determinants that produce health inequalities.

Overview of A2 5 Supporting the Family: the types and functions of the family, the changes and pressures families face, and the services, policies and professionals that support families in health and social care.

Overview of AS 1 Promoting Quality Care: the values of care and care value base, the rights of service users, the responsibilities of care workers, how quality care is promoted and the barriers that discrimination and abuse of power create.

Overview of AS 2 Communication in Health, Social Care and Early Years Settings: the types and contexts of communication, the factors that aid effective communication, the barriers that obstruct it, and the strategies and supports used to overcome those barriers.

The concepts and definitions of health and wellbeing: positive, negative and holistic definitions, the World Health Organization definition, and the physical, intellectual, emotional and social dimensions of wellbeing.

The effects of health and ill health on individuals and on those around them, the indicators and measures used to assess physical health, and how needs are identified across the physical, intellectual, emotional and social dimensions.

The factors affecting health and wellbeing: physical, social and emotional, economic, environmental and lifestyle factors, the difference between factors a person can and cannot control, and how factors interact to influence health.

Promoting and supporting health improvement: the components of a healthy lifestyle, how individuals can be supported to improve and maintain wellbeing, the formal and informal support available, and the barriers that make change difficult.